Clever Boy
by Natashalie
Summary: AU "He had always been the best of them, Mother had always told him so. " A look into Percy Weasley in a world where his betrayal isn't all it seems. Past PW/PC and (maybe) Future OW/PW


**Well this is my first story on this account. I mainly wanted to start some stories away from the one's I have on my other account- that I will still be updating- but these stories need a different place**

**Disclaimer: I'm not JK only Jk-ing I am (but not really). I don't own Harry Potter and anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling – not me. Unfortunately.**

He had always been the best of them, Mother had always told him so.

He remembers stormy nights and her voice softly crooning that he shouldn't be afraid of the storm because he was her "clever boy" not like William (Bill, big and warm and Charlie's) who would leave to work at Gringotts and would pierce his ear, or Charlie (Wild and crazy and Bill's) who would run off to be with "_those awful dragons, why couldn't he have done something safe_".

Evidently he's nothing like the twins either (Gred who had Forge and Forge who had Gred) they could be so clever if they applied themselves, more clever than him if they tried and he's so glad they don't, because being clever is all he has. Then of course there's Ron (angry and hateful, resentful) the youngest son, and finally Ginny (the favourite).

When he was little he hadn't noticed how peculiar he was in comparison to his siblings. He hadn't noticed the angry, jealous, looks from Charlie and Bill as he interrupted their perfectly fine life with their mother, too young, and too naive in the ways of the world. He hadn't heard their angry words ("But Mum he doesn't do anything, he doesn't even look like us!") but he had noticed, aged two, when FredandGeorge (always together forever and ever) were born and unlike him they looked like Weasleys their orangey red hair more like the families then his own, which was more red than orange like theirs. Bill and Charlie adored them (even later when one of their 'harmless' pranks aimed at him ended with a broken arm) and during those first two years he met a lifelong friend, Inadequacy. When Ron was born Percy held onto hope only briefly before his siblings pushed him away "Percy, Ron doesn't want to be boring like you!" and he has to confess he daren't try with Ginny.

If he lets himself feel the loneliness he thinks he'd scream, scream until his throat is burning as red as his hair. Then he thinks he'd cry but crying had never helped him before and he hardly thinks that it will help him now, caring was not an advantage.

When he reaches Hogwarts he applies himself straight away, throwing himself into books about transfiguration and potions because otherwise he'll notice that his brothers are part of the crowd that jeer at him and steal his belongings, returning them bruised and torn apart (much like he is on the Hogwart's train back). He's not like any other Weasley. He has ambitions, he dreams of a big house and money and power enough to pay off the Weasley debt (and in that way he and the twins are unbearably similar) and in his career in Hogwarts he applies himself towards that goal and the teachers take note as he achieves O's in class after class because he may not be naturally intelligent (like the twins) but he is determined to become intelligent, to learn how the system works.

And he does.

He learns that his world he loves so much is falling apart, the oppression and degradation of magical creatures and practices within the system, which in itself is an abomination and when he heads home in summer (head to toes covered in bruises) he locks himself away from the jeers of his siblings and he learns about the world around him, really learns, not the indoctrination crap that the ministry feeds the general populace. His mother is proud of him when he emerges from his room two weeks later, thinner and exhausted, but determined and when he tells her he's thinking of working for the ministry she gushes that he'll be "_just like your father, oh my clever boy!"_ and he sighs and nods not wishing to let her know that the only reason he'll be working inside the ministry is to break it down from within.

His second year is much like his first except for the added benefit of Penelope Clearwater, his partner in crime. She finds him in the library murmuring to himself as he reads book after book, notes laid out in front of him and she sits next to him, blonde plait swinging behind her as she peeks at his books and nods, curls that have escaped her plait bouncing along with her head

"_You can see how shit it is as well."_ She murmurs and he nods and she grins bright and clear, her dimples showing and he smirks

"Yeah." He replies and she chuckles

"Question is. What are we going to do about it?" She asks.

And isn't that the question of the hour.

"We?" He asks bemused and she nods

"Well of course. Us rebels need to stick together- you can't break down a system all by yourself Percy." She says (and if he thinks about it, he finds it strange she knows his name)

"Who are you?" He asks, realizing that the question has not passed his lips yet

"Penelope Clearwater. Your new partner." She says softly and her eye's sparkle in amusement.

"Why me?" He asks, no one else has ever bothered before, not when there's Bill_and_Charlie around him (and later it would be Gred and Forge) she tucks one of his russet red hairs behind his ears as she leans into his ear

"_Because me and you Percy Weasley. We're going to burn down their system and build it anew." _She murmurs in this ear and in that moment he knows that he's going to die by her side.

The years pass and somewhere along the way Ron becomes best friends with Harry Potter, a neglected, abused little thing with the fire of a survivor in his eyes. Ginny blooms into a young girl and as he suspected has no interest in him- none of his family do except for his mother and he loves her unfailingly for it. Loves her for the way she sees him when no one else can remember his name, and when he can, he'll sit with her, leaving the revolution in his room as he sits besides her in the warmth of the night, Bill and Charlie having left long ago (good riddance), with a cup of tea and stories about Cauldron regulation width (Often people over look the little things, dismiss them as boring but the Cauldron width is important- children at Hogwarts have died or been seriously burnt or injured in the past, so even if it's boring as fuck to research into it he won't just stand aside)

Penelope and he go out only briefly before they realize it won't work. They are very much in love with each other and in love with the revolution they have planned but Percy is also very much in love with Oliver Wood. Who notices him as much as his family (Bar his mother). Added to his unrequited love is the fact that their relationship is fire that burns and flares and they cannot let themselves get noticed like that. He's sure, if, one day the revolution is successful and they have done their part that someone will come in and sweep her off her feet,and he will go back to being alone, and when he thinks about that he feels ill and buries himself further in his books brushing those thoughts out of his mind. (Hello Inadequacy, I have missed you dear friend)

Physically they grow in mind and body and his tiny frame grows tall and lanky ("Willowy, Perce', Willowy." Penelope insists) and his hair remains the awkward russet red unlike his siblings marigold orange. Penelope becomes more and more beautiful, her blond curls falling into waves and her eye's sparkling and sometimes he can't believe this is the same girl he missed for a year when she was petrified

("_I've been asleep all this time?"_ She had whispered, shaking in fear and he had hugged her tightly as she had sobbed)

The Darkness comes sooner then he imagines, as Harry finishes his fourth tournament, he hears the whispers of the return of Voldemort in the Ministry and knows immediately his family is going to be investigated.

"You're going to have to make them hate you." Penelope tells him, curled up besides him in their apartment (well his, but Penelope practically lives there anyway) and he hums

"I thought I would have more time." He had confessed and she had nodded

"Me too." she had told him

The next couple of months are hard, staging a fight with his father, breaking his mother's heart and having his siblings publicly denounce him (The letters from his older siblings had not been pleasant at all) but it was all for the greater good, well, at least that's what he told himself in the morning light as he nursed a bottle of Firewhiskey and felt so undeniably lonely in the hum of the silence around him.

The next few years pass with him (_finally_) gathering the information that he needs to bring the ministry down, when Harry eventually wins the war but disappearances of muggle-borns and half-bloods cause his and Penelope's plans to be put on a back burner and through the contacts he has made over the year, all of whom are anonymous and loyal to the cause he arranges for Penelope to be taken out of the country with the information for her safety- and it was just his luck that Oliver had been the final link in the transportation. Penelope had sighed at him when he had told her and kissed his cheek before finding the remainder of his Firewhiskey and shoving it towards him.

He had finished the bottle.

"Why should I help you _traitor?_" Oliver had spat at him eye's furious and mouth turned into a scowl because he had never noticed Percy, rather Oliver had noticed his other _cooler_ family members, but Percy couldn't give a flying fuck about how Oliver perceived him because of his link to the Weasley's

"I don't give a fuck if you help me or not but you will get Penny somewhere far away from this hell-hole." Percy had retorted, uncharacteristic of him but to be fair there had been a lot of the bloody whiskey left

"And what of you? Aren't you going to run away too?" Oliver sneered and Percy snorted

"Hardly. Despite your belief of the contrary I have never and will never run away when I am needed to fight." Percy returns and Penelope had grabbed his arm

"_Percy_." She warned and Oliver laughs

"Finally speaking up are you Penelope. You know I never could understand why you would go out with him. Unbearable prat that he is." Oliver said and it hurt but Percy had been dealing in hurt for far too long to let it bother him

"Piss off Oliver. Are you going to help or not?" Penelope had snarled out whilst Oliver had scowled further

"If he can give me a decent answer for why he left his family and broke Molly's heart then yeah, sure." Oliver had said

"It's none of your business. Our cause is our own!" Penelope had exclaimed, fierce as a lioness and Percy had sighed, pulling out a packet of Muggle cigarettes and a lighter and lighting up one, taking a drag as they had argued amongst themselves

"-why can't he just tell me why? What possible reason does he have? Did he resent being the Weasley nobody wanted? Did he truly believe that Harry was a liar and now is too proud to come home? What Percy could possibly justify your sins!" Oliver roared fiercely, ever the Gryffindor and Percy too drunk and too bored with this conversation wishing desperately for his friend's safety answers him

"I have committed no sin in leaving. I kept them _safe_ by distancing myself from them. I kept Mother in the burrow for as long as possible. _I _sent tips to Dumbledore and to Shacklebolt to make sure none of you idiots got yourself caught, because as usual you bumbling fools can_ never_ see the bigger picture! You think Harry winning the war will save our world? He's a child! Barely a boy and you've put the world on his stupid fucking shoulders! And still none of you realise that this _war_ fought between a mad-man and a fool of a boy is only the beginning and if we don't sort out the real problem soon then we'll all be fucked over when another mad-man rises!" Percy exclaims, stumbling slightly as he does and Penelope as always is there to support him as he looks up at Oliver glaring

"So tell me then, what's the real problem?" Oliver asks, voice softer now

"The Ministry Ollie' we've spent the last Nine years learning everything about the system and getting into the darkest parts of it and collecting information. Information that when this war is over will be exposed and we'll rebuild! Percy and I knew that if we were watched too closely then we'd never get anywhere. So we became inconspicuous and when everything went to shit after the Triwizard tournament we knew that the Weasley's would be in danger, that my family would be in danger if anyone ever suspected. So we used every preconceived ideas you guys had about us and we thrived. So fuck you Oliver Wood for calling him a traitor- fuck you all." Penelope replies

It goes like this next.

Oliver takes Penelope away, hides her far away.

Percy continues to be subjugated by the Ministry but spends his time sending anonymous tips to the Order of the Phoenix.

Lucius Malfoy corners him one day and taunts him about his father before casting a Crucio on him.

Percy is alone with the after effects. It won't be the last time.

The Battle of Hogwarts happens and Fred and George become George who only has one ear. Harry is broken to pieces, traumatised beyond recognition and runs away from the wizarding world. His mother holds him tighter then before and he feels just a little less alone.

Penelope comes home, Oliver delivering her personally.

Bill and Charlie corner him when he is visiting his mother and he can't escape and it's too much like Lucius cornering him whilst others watch on (Ron and Ginny just look smug as they watch) and he falls into a panic attack, his mother runs downstairs to find him screaming, his magic lashing out as his body shivers in remembrance of the pain of the unforgivable curse.

Penelope visits him in hospital and when his brothers attempt to apologise she hexes them and screams, vicious, angry words tears streaming down her beautiful face. Ron and Ginny attempt to calm her down and she grabs his hand and they disapparate.

He hides in his apartment for three months straight, working from home to contact those he will need in order to reshape the ministry, Penelope stays besides him the whole time and they exhaust themselves to the point that some nights they don't make it to bed and simply fall asleep, curled into each other once again.

And one day there's a knock on the door. An innocuous little knock which reverberates through the silent apartment, but the knock isn't as surprising as the thin, tired looking dark haired boy behind it

"See the way I see things." He says, his voice a soft, broken whisper "Is that you were loyal to your family above all else. You watched out for Ginny when we all forgot about her. You helped me and I know you stuck up for Ron more than once. So something doesn't fit together Percy."

"How do you figure?" Percy asks, consciously aware he's dressed in pyjamas that are two sizes too big for him, but then again his dark haired visitor is wearing clothes that look like they were made to fit a Hungarian Horntail

"Because I've seen cowards Percy. I've seen men who would watch the desolation of their friends and the world around them because fear gripped them. I've seen cowards- and you never struck me as one." Harry tells him and Percy looks at the broken, tired boy and sighs, stepping aside so Harry can see into the apartment

"Come on in Harry, you look exhausted – when did you last eat?" Percy asks, placing a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder and leading him in and the boy turns a grateful smile towards him

It goes like this next. Harry sleeps on his sofa, dozing off when Percy makes him a sandwich and wakes up when Penny comes home again and lets out a sound of surprise which causes Harry to sit up, wand drawn and eyes clouded until Percy gets through to him in which case he flinches away, whimpering out apologies until Penny pulls him into her arms and hugs him tight. He feeds Harry next, whilst Penny makes a cup of tea, and they sit together, Harry between them.

And Percy tells him there story. He tells him about the Werewolf fighting ring and the abuse of wizards who aren't naturally light and Harry listens, asks questions and huffs in anger whenever Percy brings up the ministry which Penny finds hilarious and eventually they all fall asleep, Harry still exhausted from wherever the hell he's been and Percy tired from explaining. Penny was just lazy. So they sleep and Percy dreams of a new day, a new ministry and the look on his Mothers face when she finally understands.

When they all finally understand, he had always been the best of them, Mother had always told him so.

**This may either be a one shot or I'm writing another chapter anyway so if people are interested I'll happily finish and post it**

**NR**


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